Canada #13 Whistler
Mention Whistler and visions of a winter wonderland bustling with snow sports enthusiasts come to mind. But with more than half of the annual three million visitors, including us, coming in the summer months, Whistler in early summer is just as busy.
The centre of the village is packed with day trippers and holiday makers and the shops and restaurants are crowded. It’s the mountains people have come to see though, and the only way to get there is on the Whistler Village Gondola which travels five kilometres to the summit of Whistler Mountain. Gliding high above the tree-covered slopes for 25 minutes, the gondola ride allows everyone time to enjoy the spectacular views on all sides.
Mountain bikers also ride up the mountain, transporting their bicycles on a chairlift before hurtling down again at breakneck speeds.
At the summit a giant stone Inukshuk, created for the 2010 Winter Olympics, gazes protectively over the valley. From a height of 2,182 metres, Whistler resembles a toy village dwarfed by the Fitzsimmons Mountain Range.
The Peak 2 Peak Gondola Ride crosses from Whistler Mountain to Blackcomb Mountain in a journey of record-breaking proportions. The highest and longest of its kind in the world, with the longest unsupported span of 3.024 kilometres, the ride travels 4.4 kilometres over Fisher Valley. The bright red gondolas leave the stations on either side every 59 seconds, and cross paths high above the valley floor. At the highest point of 436 metres, Fitzsimmons Creek resembles a narrow silver ribbon draped between the trees.
Back on Whistler Mountain, the Roundhouse Lodge serves steaming hot chocolates, with peaks of whipped cream and marshmallows mirroring the surrounding landscape. Tiny chipmunks scamper between the tables searching for dropped crumbs.
The best view comes at the end of the day, halfway down on the return journey to Whistler Village.
As the gondola passes above, a mama grizzly bear guides two cubs along a narrow mountain track. The gondola continues on its way and, while our glimpse of the bears is fleeting, our excitement lasts much longer. Whistler really is full of surprises!
Wow! What a thrilling ride with spectacular views. Topped off with bear sightings and lashings of delicious hot chocolates! Carol, I’d say that’s pretty perfect. đŸ™‚
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It was a wonderful day, Miriam. Seeing the bears, even for just a few seconds, was so exciting. And the hot chocolate was very welcome. It might have been summer but it was not warm up there on the mountain.
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I can well imagine. And those chipmunks too, so cute! đŸ™‚
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A gorgeous back drop to enjoy that hot chocolate Carol.
Those bike riders must be quite experienced to ride up that mountain! đŸ˜‰
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They were riding down the mountain and going so fast too. They do have trails of different skill levels and we saw the beginners trail, designed for children. Even that looked tricky.
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đŸ˜‚đŸ˜‚
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That’s such a beautiful area! What a treat to enjoy the views, the mountains and some bear sightings all in one day!
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It was a wonderful day.
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That looks like fun! I would jump at the chance to ride that gondola, but I’d definitely leave the bike riding to a much younger crowd. Beautiful scenery, and that hot chocolate looks magnificent. đŸ™‚
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The bike riding looked like a lot of fun, but it wouldn’t be my thing. Our nephew has been there twice just for the riding. That hot chocolate was amazing.
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There’s something about a chance glimpse of bears that is thrilling – you were so lucky! Much better to get that glimpse from high up, well away from them. What a great trip.
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We thought that too, and hoped she didn’t cross paths with any of the mountain bikers. It was quite high up the mountain. We talked to someone later who said it’s not common to see grizzlies in that area. We showed him our photos and he was certain she was a grizzly.
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I cannot get over the length of that unsupported span. I am glad I didn’t know that when I took that ride! I hope they don’t ever have an earthquake in that area!
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It felt like it went forever. I’m guessing they have taken earthquakes into account in the construction of the gondolas. I hope so, anyway.
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Fantastic ride, Carol! Chipmunks, bears AND hot chocolate- I’m spoilt! đŸ™‚ đŸ™‚
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We loved the chipmunks. They are speedy little creatures.
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We also saw bears on the way down – my first ever sighting! Great pictures.
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Our first too! So exciting.
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Look at that mountain of cream and marshmallows! It matches the snow covered peaks! đŸ˜€
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And it was so delicious! Perfect for a cool afternoon.
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That really is an epic landscape. What a thrill to see it.
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The mountains go on forever! We loved that there was still snow, even in early July. On Blackcomb Mountain we were able to stand on a big patch of snow – pretty exciting for a pair of Queenslanders!
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Indeed!
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Wow. How wonderful post and photos. Amazing beautiful landscapes! Thank You sharing Your photos with us.
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Thank you, Matti. The mountain views really were wonderful.
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What amazing views from the gondola and from the peak. And to see a grizzly bear. Wow. I would have loved the hot chocolate treat at the bottom. đŸ™‚
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We just couldn’t get enough of the mountain views. Our mountains are mostly not rugged like this and we rarely see snow where we live.
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Isn’t it fun when you find landscapes that you can’t find at home? That’s how I felt when I went to the southwest in May. So different from my normal everyday surroundings.
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Definitely. We took some gorgeous photos.
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I’m sure you did! đŸ™‚
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What a perfect day Carol.
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Jude, it really was amazing. I would like to go again and spend a few days exploring but the thought of meeting a bear closer than this gives me the creeps.
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They are magnificent animals, but I wouldn’t want to bump into one!
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Heck no!
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Pictures are totally enthralling…a life of adventure is a life worth living.
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Definitely!
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Beautiful. Love the mountains, bears,, chipmunk but the hot chocolate with marshmallows is the best.
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I agree, although that chipmunk was pretty cute.
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How exciting to catch a glimpse of the bears. I visited Whistler over 30 years ago, but didn’t take a single photo (maybe I had run out of film in my camera) so my memories are a bit sketchy. It was great to look at your photos and remind myself of what I saw (no bears for me though, I’d have remembered that!).
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That’s the beauty of digital cameras. We can take as many photos as we like.
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I just can’t imagine not having one now – or a phone with a camera!
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